


Sleepless in the Fire Nation

by foolofatook001



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Fluff, I'm Zutara trash, Isn't particularly shippy at first, Little bit of Taang as well, Zutara, and not sorry about it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-18
Updated: 2019-12-18
Packaged: 2021-02-26 12:47:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21849904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foolofatook001/pseuds/foolofatook001
Summary: In which the comet is fast approaching and Zuko can't sleep. A series of nighttime conversations. Just fluff, really.
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 138





	1. Sleepless in the Fire Nation

He tossed and turned for hours, trying to fall asleep with no success. There was too much to think about - the comet, firebending training, his father’s plans for the Earth Kingdom. Normally he wasn’t one to stress every little thing, but there was a lot riding on his shoulders as the one who had to teach the Avatar firebending in such a short time.

He sat up. There was no point in trying to sleep - it wasn’t going to happen. The full moon streamed through his open window. Maybe a walk would clear his head, he thought, slipping out of bed and heading for the door.

He padded through the halls barefoot and shirtless, making no sound whatsoever, pretending, for a moment, that the Blue Spirit was on the prowl once again. Once he reached the courtyard, he headed toward the fountain, only to pause in the shadows as he realized someone was already there.

Katara sat on the edge of the fountain, twisting a thin stream of water between her fingers. Zuko hesitated, not wanting to interrupt her, but she looked up and caught sight of him hovering.

“Zuko?” she said, peering into the shadows. He walked out and joined her at the fountain, sitting on the ground with his back to the base. “What are you doing up?” she asked, looking down at him with concern.

“Couldn’t sleep,” he said, leaning back against the cool stone and closing his heavy eyes, letting the soft noise of the fountain wash over him.

“Any particular reason for that?” Katara asked gently. Zuko sighed.

“Aang’s firebending, mostly,” he confessed. “I’m worried that he’ll - I don’t know, forget everything when it comes time to fight - or he won’t be able to deal with something because I haven’t taught him well enough. I’m also worried about his refusal to kill - that’s not the way wars are won.”

“I’ve been thinking about that, too,” Katara admitted. “But as far as his firebending goes, I don’t think you have anything to worry about. You’re a good teacher and he’s a quick learner.” She smiled a little.

“What about you?” Zuko asked, glancing up at her. “Why are you still awake?”

“It’s a full moon,” she explained, gesturing at the sky. “I can’t sleep - the energy rush is too much.”

“Right, it boosts your waterbending,” he remembered. Then a thought occurred to him. “Wait, every full moon you can’t sleep?” Katara nodded with a slightly bitter smile.

“That’s terrible,” Zuko said, frowning.

“That’s being a waterbender,” she shrugged. “What about you? You’re up with the sun every morning, no matter what.”

“That’s different.”

“Is it?” She raised an eyebrow.

“It’s a habit, not because of my bending.”

“I seem to remember a certain firebender declaring that he rose with the sun and that it gave him power.”

Zuko scowled at her grinning face and leaned back against the fountain again. “Whatever you say,” he sighed.

“You know I’m right,” she smirked, then yawned. He looked up at her, somewhat surprised.

“I thought you weren’t tired,” he said.

“I wasn’t,” she replied, yawning again.

“I’m that boring?”

“Apparently,” she laughed. “Really, it’s just nice to have someone to talk to. It’s distracting me from the pull of the water.”

“Glad I could help,” said Zuko, and meant it. “You do too much to go without sleep so often.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Katara asked, frowning. Zuko paused, trying to think of a way to put it that wouldn’t sound stupid.

“You’re like everyone’s mother,” he said finally. “You’re always taking care of everyone in the group before yourself. And you’re so good at it - I would never have guessed you’d been going a full night without sleep every full moon.”

Katara shrugged, looking slightly uncomfortable. “I’m used to it.” She yawned again. “And I don’t mind it much.” She slid down off the edge of the fountain and sat with her back to the base, her arm touching his. “So talking to someone helps you sleep?” Zuko confirmed.

“Looks like it,” Katara nodded.

“I’ll keep talking, then. Anything you want me to talk about?”

“How…” She yawned. “How did you get that scar? I’ve always wondered.”

He was struck silent for a moment; he wasn’t quite sure where to begin - or if he even wanted to tell her. But she had asked, and he’d promised to talk to her. Besides, she’d once offered to heal his scar with her precious spirit water; she deserved to know the story behind it.

“I was thirteen,” he started. “I’d been begging for weeks and weeks to be allowed to sit in one of my - one of the Fire Lord’s war councils. My uncle finally let me go in with him to one of them, but before we went in, Uncle made me promise not to speak out. I should have listened.

“They were discussing the Earth Kingdom, and a heavily armed battalion that was proving itself a nuisance. One of the generals suggested using a division that was all new recruits as bait in an ambush.

“That’s when I spoke out. I called the plan a betrayal of our soldiers and basically said that at thirteen I knew better than he did. My father was not pleased, and told me that this was a grave offense and would require an Agni Kai - a duel of honor - to settle. I accepted, confident that I could take the old general, and the duel was set for the following day.

“But when I stepped into the arena, I wasn’t facing the general. I was facing my father.” He was speaking coldly, in a detached tone, watching it in his mind again as if at a distance. Katara watched him with concern, no longer sleepy. He took a breath, then went on. 

“I had insulted my father’s honor by calling one of his generals a fool in his own war council, so the Agni Kai would be fought against  _ him.  _ I was no match for my father - I’m still no match for my father - so I fell to my knees and begged for mercy. 

“He called me weak and ordered me to fight, but I refused - I couldn’t fight my own father! So he struck my face and banished me. The only way I could return home was if I captured the Avatar. Then I would regain my lost honor - and my father’s respect.” He scowled down at the cracked stones of the courtyard, not wanting to see Katara’s look of pity.

“Hey,” she said softly. “Look at me.” He reluctantly dragged his eyes up to hers. She waited until he was looking her in the face, then said, “I think you’re very brave, Zuko.” There was no pity in her eyes, only a kind of respect, and then they suddenly flashed with anger. “How  _ dare _ he do that to you? If Aang can’t deal with the Fire Lord, you and I are going to team up and take him down ourselves.”

“We are a pretty good team,” Zuko said, not really knowing what else to say. He was strangely touched by her instant defense. And with Katara, it wasn’t just talk. She actually meant it.

“And I’ll have your back. No matter what,” she added. He glanced over at her.

“You have Aang and Sokka to look after,” he said, not wanting to sound ungrateful but also wondering why she was saying this.

“Yeah. And now you’re on that list,” she said. “Besides, we’re the responsible ones in this group. We  _ should _ have each other’s backs.”

“Well, when you put it like that…” Zuko smiled. “And, since I’m responsible for you now, I say you should go to bed.”

“Keep talking, I’ll probably fall asleep,” said Katara, leaning her head on his shoulder. “Tell me about things you do in the Fire Nation. What’s it like to live there? I mean, we did for a while, but we were in caves and stuff.”

“Well, we have some pretty wild festivals on the summer solstice…”


	2. Sleepless in the Fire Nation, pt II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place in the Imperial palace - after the comet, but before Zuko's coronation.

“I thought you’d be out here,” said Zuko as he sat down next to the waterbender. “Moon keeping you awake?” She nodded. “Okay. I’m here to keep you company.”

“Why can’t  _ you _ sleep?” she asked, elbowing him gently. 

“Well, I’m the responsible one here, remember?” he replied with a small smile. “I have to make sure you go to bed first.”

“You’ll be up for a while,” she warned. “And you’re still healing! You need to rest!” He waved her protest away.

“I’m fine. And besides, I’m sitting and talking to a qualified healer who also happens to be one of my best friends. What’s more restful than that?”

“Sleeping,” said Katara succinctly.

“Huh,” said Zuko, as though the thought had never occurred to him. A smile forced its way onto her face despite her concern. 

“Really, though,” she added. “How are you feeling?”

“Better than I was two weeks ago,” he admitted, lying back onto the cool grass and looking up at the stars.

She laid back next to him. “I never really said thank you - ”

“You’re alive. That’s all the thank you I need. Anyway, I have your back, too, remember? It goes both ways. I do stupid stuff and you patch me up; we’re all good and taken care of,” he said quickly, trying to get off the subject - it brought up some things he didn’t want to think too hard on just yet. Maybe later, when the country was more stable… 

“It wasn’t stupid,” Katara said in a low voice. “It was selfless.”

Zuko was quiet for a while, knowing he shouldn’t have tried to bluster past this conversation. He finally said softly, “I didn’t want anyone else getting hurt. That was the whole point of the Agni Kai. And then she shot at you and I … You would have died, and that… was not an option.”

Katara didn’t say anything, just leaned her head on his shoulder. “You probably shouldn’t be doing this,” she said after a few minutes.

“Doing what?”

“The Fire Lord, hanging out with a waterbender in the palace garden in the dead of night? Surely that’s not proper Fire Lord behavior.”

“I’m not the Fire Lord yet,” he said.

“But you will be.”

“But I will be,” he agreed. “But I also think that a new Fire Lord calls for some new rules. Tell you what, my first official proclamation - after declaring the war over - will state that waterbenders are always welcome in the capital. I’d give the rest of the country some time, though.”

“Well, once you’re Fire Lord, I’ll visit the Fire Nation every month.”

“During the full moon?”

“Maybe.”

They lay in silence for a while, staring up at the stars. The lights of the city drowned most of them out, but there were still quite a few that were visible. Zuko’s eyes were getting heavy, but Katara still seemed as awake as ever, and he’d promised not to sleep until she did. He was going to  _ honor _ that promise.

“I can’t find any constellations,” Katara said, sounding a bit sleepy. “I think we’re too far from the pole.”

“Really? Well, I know a couple,” said Zuko, shifting on the grass so he could point. “That’s the Eternal Flame, up there on the right, and then there’s Agni’s Sword, and the Great Warrior - ”

“Where?” Katara interrupted, scanning the sky intently. 

“See the three stars, right in a line?” When she had looked for a while and still couldn’t spot them, he put his head as close to hers as he could to get near her line of vision and then pointed them out. “That’s his belt.”

“Found them! Thank you,” she said, turning to him with a smile. He smiled back, then realized how close they were to each other and blinked nervously.

“What?” she asked, frowning.

“I was just thinking, this probably looks a little weird.”

“Who cares?” she demanded. “It’s past midnight; everyone else is asleep.”

“As you should be. Aren’t you tired yet?”

“As  _ you _ should be. I won’t be tired until you talk to me.”

“I’ve  _ been _ talking to you,” he complained, but he was mostly joking. He really didn’t mind it.

“Yes, I guess you have.”

“What happens if neither of us falls asleep before morning?”

“Good question,” Katara said. “I guess you’ll have to cross that bridge when you come to it.”

“ _ If _ I come to it,” Zuko countered. Katara smiled. “So what’s going to put you to sleep?” he asked.

“Do you know any Fire Nation legends?”

“You want me to tell you a bedtime story?” he said, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, it sounds stupid when you say it like that,” she grumbled. 

“Yes, it does. Let me think of a good one,” Zuko said, shifting so his arm was under Katara’s head, acting as a pillow; she was still leaning on his shoulder. “Have you ever heard of the time when the Blue Spirit stole all the stars of the Eternal Flame from the sky?”

“No,” said Katara, leaning in closer. “Tell me.”

“Once, a long time ago, the Blue Spirit felt he was not being taken seriously enough by the other spirits. So he devised a plan…”


	3. In Between

The full moon’s light was shining directly through his window and it was driving him insane. “What does a guy have to do to get some sleep around here?” he growled to himself, slipping out of bed to pull the curtains closed. He happened to glance down and saw a lone figure seated at the edge of the pond below his window. As he watched, another, slightly larger figure joined the first. Curious, Sokka decided to go investigate.

***

Sokka watched through narrowed eyes as Zuko lifted Katara up in his arms and began carrying her out of the garden - he’d just found his way down to the garden. He followed the firebender up the stairs and down countless hallways, sticking to the shadows. Finally, Zuko stopped outside the room Sokka recognized as Katara’s, shifting the sleeping girl in his arms and pushing the door open. Sokka positioned himself across the hall from her room and waited, arms folded over his chest. Zuko slipped out of her room a few seconds later, easing the door shut behind him.

Sokka cleared his throat. Zuko whipped around, jumping into a firebending stance. He relaxed when he saw Sokka and ran a hand through his hair sheepishly. “Hey,” he said. 

“What were you doing with my sister?” Sokka demanded.

“Well, it’s a full moon,” Zuko said, like it explained everything. Sokka blinked.

“What?” he asked, totally confused. What did the  _ moon  _ have to do with anything? Zuko frowned.

“The full moon - she can’t sleep?” he said, like Sokka should have known that already.

“Why can’t she sleep?” Sokka asked, concerned now but still totally confused.

“She didn’t - okay, so waterbenders get their power from the moon. During the full moon, it’s so much of an energy rush that she can’t sleep,” Zuko explained. He frowned a little. Sokka felt like a terrible brother - he had no idea Katara was never able to sleep during a full moon. Then he frowned. “Wait. How do  _ you  _ know that?” he asked, suddenly suspicious. 

“Because she  _ told  _ me,” Zuko said, exasperated. “When we were on Ember Island, before the comet.”

“So why are you up?”

“It helps her when she has someone to talk to; it distracts her.”

“That’s all you were doing? Talking?”

Zuko turned bright red. “Oh - you thought - no, we were just - just talking, sorry…” He trailed off awkwardly, still pink. Sokka eyed him for a moment, then nodded. Zuko seemed sufficiently embarrassed at the idea of him and Katara together that it made sense that he was telling the truth. 

“Well, good. And good night. I’m going to bed,” he said with a yawn, his concern for his sister giving way to exhaustion. 

“Good night,” Zuko said, then seemed to melt away into the shadows of the hall. Sokka was impressed, despite his lingering concern about the interest Zuko seemed to be taking in his sister. But he knew Zuko was a loyal friend - that’s probably all it was really. Yeah, that was it.

_ Now how do I get to my room from here? _ Sokka wondered, realizing he was hopelessly lost.

***

Katara was very surprised the next morning when she nearly stepped on her brother, who was curled up on the floor outside her room.


	4. Sleepless in the Earth Kingdom

“It’s a full moon again,” Zuko said, stepping out onto the tea shop’s balcony where Katara stood, silhouetted against the city lights. 

“I thought you’d come out here,” she replied, not turning. Zuko walked over to the rail beside her. They stood in companionable silence for a while, looking down at Ba Sing Se’s Upper Ring. 

“So…” Zuko began. “You and Aang, huh? When did that happen? I feel like I missed something there.”

Katara snorted. “ _ Excuse  _ me? What about you and Mai? When did  _ that _ happen? I didn’t know you liked scary girls who throw knives.”

“All the girls I know are scary,” Zuko said with a grin, then winced as Katara socked him a good one in the arm. “My point exactly. But I asked first. You and Aang?”

Katara sighed. “He’s liked me since Sokka and I first found him in the iceberg. I didn’t pay him much attention at first, but he’s really grown up a lot since we met, and… I guess I finally saw that,” she finished, staring out over the city. Zuko eyed her appraisingly.

“You don’t sound very enthusiastic,” he noted.

“I’m exhausted,” she snapped, “but I can’t sleep. It’s kind of hard to be enthusiastic about anything.” Zuko blinked. Then she sighed. “I’m sorry, you’re right. Aang is the sweetest boy I know, and I do love him, very much.” She laughed a little. “He called me his ‘Forever Girl’.” 

“Love is a big word,” Zuko said, studiously not looking at her. “You sure?”

“Is it? We’ve been through so much together - this really doesn’t feel like a beginning. It’s more like the end of something else.”

“Hmm,” he said. She glanced over at him, eyes sparkling with mischief. 

“So, you and Mai. Spill,” she ordered. 

He chuckled. “We’ve known each other since we were little, and she’s liked me probably that long. When I… when I went back to the Fire Nation, before the eclipse, we started dating. But then I left to join you, and left her a letter in which I pretty much broke up with her. And then I got her locked up in the Boiling Rock for the rest of the war, when we went and rescued your dad. She made it back to the capital just in time for the coronation, but she made a lot of enemies when she was with Azula, so she kept a low profile until things calmed down a little more. Apparently she forgave me while she was in prison - although she did threaten to kill me if I ever broke up with her again.”

“Is that legal? Threatening to kill the Fire Lord?” Katara wondered.

“Probably not.” They both laughed. Katara yawned. 

“Where are you going after this?” Zuko asked her.

“Back home. Dad’s down there already, and it’s been so long since I’ve seen Gran-Gran - I just miss it, you know?”

“Yeah,” Zuko said softly. “I know exactly what you mean.” 

“And you’re going back to the Fire Nation, right, O Great Fire Lord?” Katara grinned. 

“Don’t even start,” Zuko grumbled. “Yes, I’m going back. Kind of have to. Aang said he wanted to hang around the Earth Kingdom a little longer, didn’t he?” 

“Yes, just to see how the cleanup is going. Toph was going to stay with him until he heads to the South Pole, and then she was going to Omashu.”

“I don’t think that city needs another ridiculously good earthbender,” Zuko said with a frown. 

“Right?” Katara said, yawning again. 

“What about Sokka and Suki?”

“Suki’s coming to the South Pole with Sokka and I. He wants her to meet Gran-Gran.”

“I bet you a gold piece that she makes him live on Kyoshi Island when they finally get married,” Zuko said slyly. 

“You’re on,” Katara grinned. Zuko glanced up. 

“Stars are out,” he noted. Katara looked up, too.

“So they are,” she agreed, with another shuddering yawn.

Zuko glared at her with mock severity. “Katara. Do you need to go to bed?” he asked, as if speaking to a small child.

“Of course. That’s the only reason I’m talking to you. You’re so boring, I go straight to sleep,” she shot back.

“Ouch,” he complained. Then his tone grew more serious. “You’ll visit the Fire Nation still, right?”

“Every month,” she confirmed. 

“Good,” he said.

“I’m going to miss you,” Katara said, leaning against him sleepily. “You’re the only one I can really… talk to like this,” she yawned. 

“I think you need to go to sleep,” was his only remark.

“Okay. Good night, Zuko.”

“Good night, Katara.”

***

“Hey, where’d you disappear to last night?” Mai asked him the next morning at breakfast. “Your uncle was looking for you.”

“I couldn’t sleep,” he said, deciding to leave it at that.


	5. Sleepless at the South Pole

_ Hey, Katara. It’s Zuko. _

_ I know for a fact that it wasn’t a full moon when you visited earlier this month, which means you will be in the South Pole when it does happen. Which also means I have to write this pretty fast or it won’t get to you in time.  _

_ See, I thought that even if I’m not there in person, I could still help you get to sleep with a distraction. So you have this letter. _

_ And now I have no idea what to write about. Stop laughing at me, it’s rude.  _

_ You know, you fell asleep before you heard the end of that story about the Blue Spirit. I guess I can finish it here. And if you didn’t want to hear it, too bad, because this is a letter and you can’t shut me up now. Well, I guess you could stop reading… Never mind! Story. _

_So all the other spirits were angry with the Blue Spirit for stealing the Eternal Flame from the sky, because that’s neither honorable nor a very good thing to do to a star. Stars, in the Spirit World, have power, and while the Blue Spirit_ _was_ _taken more seriously after he returned the stars to their rightful place in the sky, the Eternal Flame’s stars were plotting revenge. But they were patient, and waited until he relaxed his guard. Then they struck. I mean, they actually struck him from the Spirit World to the human world._

_ I know this sounds terrible, but bear with me. If you haven’t fallen asleep already. Which you probably have, because, as you like to remind me, I’m so very boring. _

_ I’ll get back to the story, sorry. _

_ So the Blue Spirit was cast into the mortal world. Now, this was a long, long time ago, before even the Avatar, and it was chaotic. People lived nasty, brutish, short lives. _

_ Now, the Blue Spirit was disgusted by this, at first. But he watched, and listened, and realized that all they really needed was a push in the right direction. Or four, to be exact.  _

_ And so the Blue Spirit called other spirits to him - Agni, the spirit of fire, Chikyu, the spirit of earth, Maji, the spirit of water, and Vaayu, the spirit of air - to help him divide the people. But that’s another story. _

_ Honestly, I don’t blame you for falling asleep. All the action’s at the beginning, when he steals the stars. That was always my favorite part. There’s this whole other part about the founding of the four nations, blah blah blah,  _ _~~but my hand hurts and I’d rather talk to you~~ _ _ but I don’t have room for it here.  _

_ Ty Lee says hi, by the way - she’s here on leave from Kyoshi Island right now - and Uncle says hello as well. He wanted to send some of his chamomile tea to help you sleep, but the messenger hawk wouldn’t have been able to carry it and get to the pole on time. _

_ How is the South Pole - you told me about the reconstruction, but it’s been a few weeks - anything new? You should tell Aang to come visit the Fire Nation again soon - he always seems to double the reconstruction efforts whenever he’s around. It’s probably the same in the South Pole, though, isn’t it? _

_ Thank you for visiting me earlier. (Even though it wasn’t a full moon so now I have to do all this extra writing.) You would not believe how tedious being Fire Lord gets (I tried to spare you all the complaints when you were here). And now that Mai’s gone…  _

_Oh, yeah, Mai left, right after you did. Apparently she agrees with you about my boringness. She’s going to the university in Ba Sing Se to study something that won’t bore her. Technically, she broke up with me, so at least I don’t have to worry about a death threat from_ _that_ _direction. Small blessings._

_ I hope this was enough to bore you to sleep. _

_ Zuko _

_ PS: Did this get to the pole in time? It’ll be really embarrassing if it doesn’t. _


	6. Not Sleepless Until the Party's Over

He’s been following her with his eyes all night long. Aang sees it, and pays close attention to her reactions, but she doesn’t seem to notice. Toph feels his footsteps, always behind the other girl’s, and smirks, thinking,  _ It’s about time.  _ Suki notices and diverts Sokka’s attention. Iroh observes with a small, knowing smile. Mai looks on quietly, bitter envy gnawing at her - and guilt. 

Zuko knows he’s being obvious, but he can’t bring himself to stop - and frankly, he doesn’t really want to.

Katara is a whirl of shades of blue - she found the dress in her closet, presumably a gift from Iroh ( _ or Zuko _ ) and it fit her perfectly, so what better time to wear it than the annual Peace Ball? She enjoys being in the Fire Nation more than she’d admit to anyone else. She knows Zuko picks the date of the summit each year, and the night of the ball is always a full moon, so she is up anyway. He doesn’t think she knows, but Sokka let it slip one day, and just the reminder of his thoughtfulness is enough to make her feel warm inside. She wants this night - the last night of festivities - to go on forever.

But she knows it can’t last.

Toph elbows her. “Hey, that Fire Nation kid is checking you out,” she says.

Katara frowns. “How would you know?”

Toph grins. “Almost had you, didn’t I?” Katara sighs and takes a sip of punch from the glass she holds. The musicians begin tuning their instruments, and suddenly Aang is standing before them. 

“Do you want to dance?” he asks, addressing Katara. 

“Sure, Twinkle Toes,” Toph says, taking him by the hand and leading him away from the grateful waterbender. Over the past couple years, she’d come to realize that Aang was more like a little brother - a son, even - than someone to be in love with. She’d tried, at first. But it had felt so… wrong, and so she’d gone home to stay with Sokka, not wandering with Aang as they’d planned. She lives for the annual peace summit, held in the Fire Nation every summer; it’s the only time she sees some of her friends. Aang is busy being the Avatar (and being hurt that she doesn’t love him like he thought). Toph is busy with her metalbending school. Suki is busy with the Kyoshi Warriors. Sokka is on Kyoshi Island half the time. And Zuko is the Fire Lord, though he keeps up a regular correspondence with her, making sure to send a letter every full moon. She can’t make it to the Fire Nation every month like she’d promised originally, due in part to the lack of waterbenders in the South Pole that are still needed for reconstruction, and in part to the harsh polar winter, but Zuko was understanding, and says she’s welcome whenever she can be spared. But the peace summit is when all her friends are together again for one glorious week of summer, and she isn’t as lonely.

She laughs, watching Toph leading Aang into the next dance. She takes another sip of her punch and casts about for a spot to sit down - her feet are aching. She spots a small, curtained alcove off to the side and gratefully sits down, putting her feet up on the cushioned bench. She watches the party for a while, listening to the music and snatches of conversations. She leans back, closing her eyes.

“Enjoying the party?” a low, slightly amused voice asks. Katara looks up and sees Zuko leaning against the wall beside her seat, resplendent in his royal robes. 

“Of course,” she replies. She swings her legs off the bench and pats the seat beside her. “There’s room for one more,” she says, smiling. He sits down next to her and looks out over the party.

“I hate these things,” he says, with a slight twist of his mouth.

“Oh?”

“Uncle makes me dress up,” he sighs, plucking at his outfit with distaste. Katara giggles at the sight of her nineteen-year-old friend, ruler of an entire country, pouting like a five-year-old. “Don’t laugh at me,” he growls, which only makes her laugh harder. Finally he cracks a smile and she grins back at him.

“I’ve missed you,” she says, leaning back against the wall. His heart leaps. “I’ve missed everyone,” she adds, quickly. “Sokka’s there, but he might as well not be, considering how much time he spends on Kyoshi.”

“I know what you mean,” Zuko says, mirroring her and leaning back against his side of the alcove. “The only one of the group I see on a regular basis anymore is Aang, and that’s only about once every few months.”

“I’m sorry I can’t make it to the Fire Nation more often,” Katara says, feeling horribly guilty. Of course she’s not the only one who’s missing her friends - Zuko barely has any friends at home as it is.

He only smiles at her. “It’s fine. I know you’re busy with reconstruction. What’s your latest project?”

“A meeting-hall,” Katara sighs. “It’s taken forever for us to get it going, but once it’s finished, we’ll have a place for merchants from the other nations to set up a market - and it should be good for tribe meetings, when we have them.”

“Sounds practical,” Zuko says with a small smile.

“Sokka was inspired by the indoor market in one of the Fire Nation towns we stopped in when we were with Aang.”

“How _ is  _ Aang?” Zuko asks, carefully.

“He keeps trying to convince me that I belong with him,” Katara says sadly. “He can’t accept that I only see him as a brother now.”

“So you’re not really speaking, then.”

“No.”

Zuko is watching her with an inscrutable expression on his face. His golden eyes glow in the dim alcove. The music picks up in the background. 

“Do you want to dance?” he asks suddenly. Then he turns pink and looks away. Katara smiles.

“Sure,” she says, getting to her feet. Zuko blinks up at her, clearly surprised. “Although I will warn you now, I’m not very good,” she adds. Zuko stands as well. His cheeks are still a little pink, but he’s been waiting all night to ask her this, and now she’s said yes, and he still can’t quite believe it. 

“It’s just like a bending form,” he says, facing her on the edge of the dance floor. “Or a sparring match. Just pay attention and react.”

Katara feels a pang at the advice, and remembers another Fire Nation dance, not that long ago, but then she shakes away the memory and smiles up at her friend. “Sounds easy enough,” she says. He takes her hand and sets the other on her waist. Heat rises to her face all of a sudden, and she’s a little annoyed, actually. This is  _ Zuko _ . She thought she was over this.

Zuko tries to move slow enough for Katara to follow, but it’s hard to keep time with the music at this pace.  _ She’s doing all right so far, _ he thinks, and steps a little quicker. They’ve moved from the very edge of the dance floor to an area with more people.

Katara is focused on following Zuko - and not trampling his toes. So far, she’s managed to keep up, and Zuko is smiling down at her. “See?” he says, with his trademark smirk. “Not bad.”

She grins back. “I think you’re having fun, Fire Lord Zuko.”

“Me? Never,” he drawls, pulling her in a little closer as another couple brushes past them. He doesn’t let her go after they’ve gone by, and she feels the familiar heat creeping back to her cheeks.

The song changes, a quicker number. Zuko changes his pace to match the beat. “Want to try a spin?” he asks, nodding towards a couple on their right. The young Earth Kingdom man spins a Fire Nation girl under his arm. Katara watches, then nods. 

“I think I’ve got it,” she says. His mouth quirks up into a smile and he lifts his arm; she twirls underneath it, layered blue skirts fanning out into a circle around her. He catches her. She is laughing. “Let’s do it again,” she says, so he does, smiling as she spins. Her joy is infectious.

***

Aang watches them with narrowed eyes from the refreshment table. Toph punches him in the arm. “Let ‘em be, Twinkle Toes. It’s not your business anymore,” she warns. The Avatar says nothing, just keeps watching. 

Iroh comes up behind him. “Who is drawing the Avatar’s attention tonight?” the old man asks, a twinkle in his eye. Aang points to the couple in the center of the dance floor - Katara in her shades of blue, Zuko in his deep red. They are dancing close - closer, perhaps, than propriety suggests. 

“Ah,” says Iroh. Aang just nods. Toph has disappeared into the crowd. “Perhaps you would do well to speak to Miss Mai,” he continues, gesturing discreetly toward another curtained alcove where Mai sits, alone. 

“Maybe later,” the airbender says. He’s not sure how much longer he can take this, watching the two of them - but Katara is smiling. He can’t remember the last time in recent years that he saw her smiling, truly smiling like that. As much as seeing her with Zuko hurts, right now she’s happy, and he doesn’t want her to lose that. 

Iroh has left and now Sokka is standing beside him, eyes narrowed. “That liar,” he mutters.

“Huh?” Aang is confused. 

“Zuko!” Sokka complains. “He told me he didn’t like Katara!”

Aang raises an eyebrow. “When was that?”

“Well… I guess it was right after the comet - before the coronation. But still! I thought I could count on that, at least! I’m going to get her,” he announces, starting for the dance floor. Aang grabs his arm. 

“When was the last time you saw her that happy?” he asks. Sokka studies his sister for a moment.

“You have a point,” he says, eyes sad. “She’s been lonely at the South Pole. She tries to hide it, but I can see it.” The Avatar feels a pang of guilt. He’s been avoiding the South Pole - avoiding Katara - because of the way she’s hurt him, the way she keeps turning him gently away. He can imagine how she feels, isolated in the South Pole, especially after being free to travel the world for nearly a year.

Sokka sighs. “Let’s find some food, buddy,” he says, pulling Aang toward the refreshment table.

***

Katara has danced through three songs with Zuko but she feels like she could go on all night, spinning and stepping and following and laughing.

Zuko is not tired, though he’s been dancing for nearly fifteen minutes straight. He knows they are attracting stares from the others watching. Under the music, he knows there are whispers spreading like wildfire through the room as the Fire Lord and the Avatar’s waterbender continue to dance. 

But he doesn’t care.

Two songs later, they both finally take a break. Katara looks happier than he’s ever seen her at one of these things; her cheeks are flushed and her smile is so wide it makes his cheeks hurt just looking at it. He’s still holding her hand.

“You’re back,” Toph says. “Now maybe Twinkle Toes will stop pouting.” Zuko sees a trace of bitterness flash across her face as she blows her bangs out of her eyes. “He needs to get over himself,” she says, sounding irritated. Zuko silently agrees. He’s tired of Aang being awkward around Katara, and of Katara being on eggshells with him. It puts a strain on the rest of the group.

“Do you know where he is?” Katara is asking. “Maybe I should try to talk to him again -”

“It’s been three years, Sugar Queen,” Toph says, rolling her eyes. “If he hasn’t gotten the message yet, I don’t think he’ll get it now.” Then she frowns. “Your heartbeat just hit, like, a million miles an hour, Sparks.”

Zuko flushes. “I ah - I had an idea. But it’s a really, really bad idea, and… I’m going to shut up now,” he says, realizing who he’s talking to.

“Let’s hear it,” Toph says, raising an eyebrow. “If you’ve got a solution to our little Avatar problem, I think we’d all like to know.” Katara nods in agreement. If it’s possible for Zuko to blush any more than he already is, he does it.

“No, it’s a bad idea,” he repeats, glancing at Katara.

“I’ll be the judge of that,” says Toph. “Let me hear it.” Zuko bends to whisper in her ear, cheeks still flaming. 

Katara looks on in amusement as a wicked grin spreads across the little earthbender’s face. Zuko looks at her expression and bites his lip nervously. 

“That is a  _ great _ idea,” Toph announces. “It would solve a lot of our problems right off!”

“A  _ lot _ of our problems?” Zuko asks, frowning. 

“Can I hear this great idea?” Katara says, grinning.

“No,” Toph says. “It’ll work better if you don’t.” Zuko’s shoulders sag in relief. Then he looks back to Toph, a sudden look of absolute terror in his eyes. “Wait, we’re actually doing it?” he asks, eyes wide.

“Oh, definitely,” says Toph. “You better do your part.”

Zuko buries his face in his hands. 

“Okay, really,” Katara says, putting her hands on her hips. “What’s this plan of yours?”

“It’s on a need-to-know basis,” Toph says. “You don’t need to know.”

“Fine,” Katara huffs.

“Or Zuko could tell you  _ now _ ,” the earthbender says suddenly, shoving Zuko toward Katara and at the same time moving the partygoers with her bending so the Avatar has a clear view.

“Now?” Zuko says, staring.

“Do it, idiot!” Toph barks. Zuko shoots Katara an apologetic look.

“Sorry,” he whispers hurriedly, then takes her face in his hands and kisses her.

Katara freezes for a second, shocked, then melts into the kiss, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around his neck.

After a moment, he pulls back, staring at her. She smiles shyly. “That wasn’t such a bad idea,” she says.

A tentative grin spreads over his face. “You - you didn’t mind?”

She gives him a look. “Zuko, I wouldn’t have minded for the last two years.”

He is back to staring at her. “Really?”

“It’d solve multiple problems, I said,” Toph calls; her grin is about to split her face in half, it’s so wide.

Katara and Zuko turn to glare at her. Shocked murmurs are running through the crowd. 

“Oh, come on,” Toph continues. “You two have been dancing around the subject of each other since the war ended. I figured it was about time.” More whispers ensue.

“I think that’s enough, Miss Bei Fong,” Iroh says, suddenly appearing behind the little earthbender. She shrugs and heads for the spot where she last felt the Avatar’s feather-light footsteps. Iroh turns to his nephew, one eyebrow raised. “Fire Lord Zuko?”

“I need to do some research,” Zuko says. His fingers are still interlaced with Katara’s. Iroh gives him a knowing look, smiles at Katara, and walks off. The crowd of partygoers around them is slowly dispersing now that the drama is over.

“Research?” Katara repeats, glancing up at Zuko curiously. Sokka stomps up before he can reply. 

“You. Explain.  _ Now, _ ” Sokka growls, jabbing a finger into Zuko’s chest with each word.

“Uh… we were tired of Aang moping around?” he offers. “And talking to him wasn’t working…”

“If I ever see the two of you kiss in a public space again, I’m going to separate you - forcibly,” Sokka threatens. Katara rolls her eyes.

“Remind me to tell that to Suki the next time the two of you get together,” she shoots back. Sokka winces.

“Is Aang okay?” Katara asks Toph, who has joined the group. She shrugs.

“Couldn’t find him,” she says, frowning. “He must have flown off before I could get to him.”

“That’s not good,” Sokka says, concerned.

“He’ll find his way back,” Toph says.  _ And I’ll be there when he does,  _ she adds silently.

***

Toph is waiting in the garden for him when he finally flies back to the Imperial Palace. She feels his barely-there footsteps at the edge of the pond and feels a rush of relief go through her at the same time.

“Hey, Twinkle Toes,” she says.

“Toph,” he says. He sounds surprised. “What are you doing up?”

“I couldn’t sleep while you were still up pouting, now could I?” she says, crossing over to stand beside him. “You wanna talk about it?”

He’s silent for a while, but Toph is patient. She can give him some time.

“It just… hurts, seeing her with someone else,” he says finally. “I thought, after the war, that we’d be together. When we were, it was the best feeling in the world. I guess she didn’t think so,” he adds, bitterly.

“Apparently not,” Toph says, noncommittally.

“And  _ Zuko _ , of all people?” Aang demands. “She used to hate him!”

“And then she forgave him, and then he jumped in front of a lightning bolt for her,” Toph says. “People change. You should know that, Twinkle Toes.”

Aang’s heartbeat picks up. “He jumped in front of a lightning bolt for her?”

“Oh. You didn’t know about that?” Toph realizes she may have made a mistake, but tries to play it off like it’s cool. “When they went to go fight Azula, Zuko challenged her to an Agni Kai. Katara was just supposed to be his backup. Then, in the middle of the fight, Azula shot lightning at Katara instead of shooting it at Zuko, who could redirect it. Zuko says he didn’t think, he just dove. That’s how he got that wicked scar on his chest, and why he wasn’t crowned Fire Lord right away. Didn’t you know that?”

“I knew he got hit by lightning in the fight with Azula,” Aang says slowly. “But I didn’t realize it was… for her.”

“He’s a good guy, Twinkle Toes,” Toph says, knowing she might be pushing it but wanting him to realize that he needed to get over this. “She could do a lot worse.”

“What, like me?” he says, gloomily.

Toph smacks him in the arm. He jumps. “Cut it out!” she yells. “This isn’t you. You’re better than this - this stupid, moany,  _ person _ . Katara’s happy. Zuko’s happy. Can’t you be happy for your friends? The Aang I know is always happy for his friends, no matter what. Get it together, airbender!” She folds her arms over her chest and scowls.

Aang is quiet. Finally, he says, “Thanks, Toph. You’re right - ”

“Of course I am,” she snorts.

“ - and I needed to understand that the world doesn’t revolve around me and my feelings,” Aang goes on. “Even though I  _ am  _ the Avatar,” he adds, and Toph can hear the smile in his voice.

“So, you going to go to bed now?” she asks as he yawns.

“Why, are you tired?” he asks, a note of mischief in his tone.

She smirks. “Not on your life, Twinkle Toes.”

“Wanna pull an all-nighter? Iroh has this awesome energy tea - it’ll keep you up for  _ days _ if you drink enough of it.”

“You’re on,” Toph grins.


End file.
